Honors Program

Honors Program Gateway Admissions Eligibility

For Transfer or Current Lourdes Students

Transfer or current Lourdes students seeking to apply to the Honors Program can apply through Gateway Admission. Most Gateway applicants will be fourth-semester students applying for entry as juniors. Lourdes also will accept applications from exceptionally qualified first- and second-year students interested in being considered. Certain colleges may have additional requirements for Gateway entry.

Gateway Selection Criteria

The Gateway entry process is based upon an evaluation of a student's performance and research potential. The Honors Council oversees evaluation of all Gateway applications.

The evaluation is typically based on:

Academic achievement since beginning college

Desire, ability and motivation to conduct research or creative projects leading to the completion of an undergraduate honors thesis

Interest in and aptitude for leadership, civic engagement and international experiences as an undergraduate

Eligibility for the Gateway Process

The Gateway applicants should have:

At least one full-time semester of study completed at Lourdes

A minimum of four full-time semesters of study remaining before graduation

A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 at the time of application

An application-semester GPA of 3.5 or higher for rising juniors and rising sophomores

The application form includes additional criteria for a student's field of study. In all cases, the Director and the Honors Council review applications and make decisions about admissions which are communicated to applicants. Students seeking Honors experiences who have less than four full-time semesters may also request to take Honors courses with approval from the Director.

Gateway Honors Requirements

Gateway Honors Scholars also are required to attend Honors Program Orientation. Students admitted as juniors into the Honors Program are required to complete 14 credits of honors coursework and an approved honors thesis prior to graduation. Students also must file relevant progress reports, such as annual academic plans and the thesis proposal. Students admitted as sophomores into the Honors Program are required to complete 3 honors courses for a total of 9 or more credits in their sophomore year, along with the requirements described above for juniors.

Students entering the Honors Program through the Gateway enjoy most of the benefits of Honors Program membership, including priority registration, a wide array of honors courses, the opportunities to enroll in honors-option courses, enhanced access to research and scholarly opportunities and travel and research-support funding.